The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is why Americans pay income taxes. But what if there were problems associated with that amendment? Secrets that call into question decades of tax collecting? In fact, there is a surprising truth to this hidden possibility.

Cotton Malone, once a member of an elite intelligence division within the Justice Department known as the Magellan Billet, is now retired and owns an old bookshop in Denmark. But when his former-boss, Stephanie Nelle, asks him to track a rogue North Korean who may have acquired some top secret Treasury Department files—the kind that could bring the United States to its knees—Malone is vaulted into a harrowing twenty-four hour chase that begins on the canals in Venice and ends in the remote highlands of Croatia.

With appearances by Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Mellon, a curious painting that still hangs in the National Gallery of Art, and some eye-opening revelations from the $1 bill, this riveting, non-stop adventure is trademark Steve Berry—90% historical fact, 10% exciting speculation—a provocative thriller posing a dangerous question: What if the Federal income tax is illegal?

My Review:

What a captivating tale! Berry takes readers on a wild ride like no other. I love how many different side turns Berry takes you on, without ever bringing anything out of left field. The author sure kept me on my toes throughout. I loved the well-researched & presented economic background to the story. Attention to detail is found throughout and easy to believe. Combined with real history, it makes for an enthralling tale that is hard to overlook.

The characters in this novel really drew me in. They were well presented & easy to get to know. At the same time, they weren’t obvious or static in their development. The gradual and intricate development was fantastic. I felt as if I were really in this with some real people that I actually knew (by the end of the book, anyways).

Although the 10th novel in the series, this can easily be read as a standalone novel. It was a fantastic, fast paced novel that had me on pins and needles throughout. It’s a must read for all who enjoy a good thriller.